Harrowing depiction of torture in secret detention centres

The commission says these reports indicate that different forces would use different methods of execution but they had once common intent to eliminate the victims and, in some cases, dispose of their remains in ways that would prevent recovery or identification.

The commission formed to investigate the incidents of enforced disappearance has mentioned in its interim report some examples of how the victims of enforced disappearances were tortured and killed during the 15 years of the rule of the government of Bangladesh Awami League.

It has revealed how members of various forces carried out torture after picking up people. It also describes how bodies were dumped after killings.

The commission submitted the interim report titled “Unfolding the Truth” to the interim government’s Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus at the state guest house Jamuna on Saturday afternoon.

The report stated that the commission has so far received 1,676 complaints regarding the enforced disappearances. Out of these, 758 complaints have been verified and sorted out.

The report contains harrowing depiction of tortures and killings told by the officers involved, victims and witnesses.  

“The accounts of torture we have documented are both profoundly brutal and disturbingly methodical. A notable distinction has emerged between the premises under the management of military officers and those overseen by civil forces, such as the police,” the interim report reveals.

Lips sewn, genitals electrocuted

The commission report finds that specialised torture equipment were used in the facilities used for enforced disappearance.

Detainees have reported witnessing officers calmly working at their desks or computers—screams of agony notwithstanding— within close proximity to the areas where torture was being perpetrated, suggesting a disturbing normalisation of such practices at these offices
Interim report of commission on enforced disappearance

“In facilities managed by civil forces, such as DB and CTTC, torture was carried out in a manner that integrated it into the daily operations of these offices. Our findings indicate that although specialised torture equipment was used, the acts of torture were conducted routinely within the same space occupied by the security personnel.

“Detainees have reported witnessing officers calmly working at their desks or computers—screams of agony notwithstanding— within close proximity to the areas where torture was being perpetrated, suggesting a disturbing normalisation of such practices at these offices.”

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However, the commission report states that the premises controlled by military commanders exhibited a more specialised infrastructure for torture.

“These facilities were often equipped with soundproofed chambers and specialised instruments, including mechanised ones, designed explicitly for inflicting physical and psychological harm.”

The commission report stated that detailed descriptions of these facilities are not published now for the sake of safeguarding the integrity of ongoing inquiry, but a comprehensive account will be published in the commission’s final report.

The report presents two examples to illustrate the nature and severity of the torture practices employed.

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“In one instance in 2010, a young man was abducted by RAB from Dhanmondi. He reported that he was taken to a room where his lips were immediately sewn without the use of any anaesthesia.

He described the procedure as being akin to stitching cowhide, underscoring the utter dehumanisation inflicted upon him. In a separate incident eight years later, a middle aged man recounted that his genitals and ears were electrocuted. This torture also took place at a RAB facility.

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“The consistency in torture practices, despite the significant temporal and geographical separation between these cases, strongly suggests that such practices were not only systemic but also institutionalised across these forces,” adds the report.

Shot in head, disposed of in rivers

The report states that victims of enforced disappearances were either killed or released into the criminal justice system in majority of cases.

“A very small minority have been released without any charges being filed against them; the victims released after 5 August changeover are examples in point.”

The commission says it has received some verified reports detailing the methods of execution.

Disproving claims of being the work of rogue officers, the systemic nature of these practices, involving multiple locations and agencies, highlights the coordinated efforts behind these crimes
Interim report of commission on enforced disappearance

“In cases where bodies were recovered, post-mortem examinations revealed that the victims had been shot in the head and disposed of in rivers with cement bags tied to their bodies. This method was described by military officers, who had served in RAB as standard procedure to ensure that the bodies would sink.”

Specific sites of killing and disposal include the Buriganga river, Kanchon bridge and Postogola bridge in the city and so on.

“The Postogola Bridge location, in particular, had a boat, confiscated during a raid on a den of robbers in the Sundarbans, that had been modified for use in these nefarious operations.”

Officers were frequently active participants of these executions, says the report.

“One witness, himself a RAB battalion commander, recounted an ‘orientation’ session conducted by the then head of RAB intelligence wing, during which two victims were shot on a bridge in front of him as part of his initiation into RAB.

Another soldier, previously deputed to the RAB intelligence wing, described a victim attempting to escape by jumping into the river. He retrieved the victim who was immediately executed on the spot.”

The commission also finds accounts of alternative methods of killing.

“One soldier reported being ordered to carry a body to a railway track in Dhaka, where it was placed on the tracks. The officers and soldiers waited in their vehicle until a train passed, dismembering the body.”

“In another instance, a surviving victim described being pushed onto a highway in front of an incoming vehicle by a police officer. By chance, the vehicle swerved and avoided hitting him. The officer, unwilling to make a second attempt, abandoned the effort, sparing the victim’s life.”

The commission says these reports indicate that different forces would use different methods of execution but they had once common intent to eliminate the victims and, in some cases, dispose of their remains in ways that would prevent recovery or identification.

“Disproving claims of being the work of rogue officers, the systemic nature of these practices, involving multiple locations and agencies, highlights the coordinated efforts behind these crimes,” says the report.

It also recommends an in-depth investigation to fully uncover the scale and specifics of these operations.